Possessive |
|
English |
|
| There are two ways to form a possesive in English. | |
| A) Add an apostrophe + s after a single noun. | |
| Mary's dress. a tree's branches |
|
B) Add an apostrophe + s after a plural noun that does not already end in s. |
|
| the children's playground the men's department. |
|
C) Add an apostrophe after the s in a plural noun if it ends in s. |
|
| the students' teacher the girls' club |
|
Use the words of the or of a before the word that is the possessor. It does not matter if the word is singular or plural. |
|
| the book of the professor the branches of a tree the teacher of the students |
|
Spanish |
|
In Spanish there is no apostrophe. You can only from a possessive using the second example above. |
|
In order to construct the possessive you structure is: the noun possessed + de ("of") + article + the noun possessor. |
|
Mary's dress = el vestido de María. (the dress of Mary) |
|
| the professor's book = el libro del profesor (del =
de + el) (the book of the professor) |
|
| the lady's purse = la bolsa de la
señora (the purse of the lady) |
|
| a tree's branches = las ramas de un
árbol (the branches of the tree) |
|
| the girl's father = el padre de las
muchachas (the father of the girls) |
|